Cultivator.



K. F. GERHARD.

CULTIVATOR. I

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2B. I916 RENEWED MAR. 19,1918.

1 ,26 5 ,902; Patented May 14, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 11 (June/why,

KarlF-Gerhcrd K. F. GERHARD.v

CULTIVATOR. APPUCATION FILED AUG-28.1915- RENEWED MAR. 19.1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Eimwmkoz KarlEC' er'hard K. F. GERHARD.

CULTIVATOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG.28. l9l6. RENEWED MAR. 19.1918.

1,265,902. I Patented May14, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

vwmto'n KarlEG erhcud 45 r These drawing's,f.for the purpose of illusare pivotally mounted andadapted for'ad- UN ED STATES PA E T. carton.

KARL F. GEBHARD, F HATTON; WASHINGTON.

'cUnrIvAroR-w i I Sjmciiication of Letters hatent. Pate ted il/1,1913,

' Application filed August 2a, 1916, s rialno. 117,339. Renewed March 19, 1918. Serial no. 223,466.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be itknown that I, KARL F. GiinHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hatton, in the county of Adams and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cultivator-s and .weeders, and has particular reference to a wheeled cultivator for turning up the ground or cutting weeds over awidepath. w 'Arr'mporta'nt object ofthe invention'is to provide an. easy means for raising the cultivating points off the ground toavoid stumps or other obstructions,:and to permit turnin of the cultivator without injury to the points and their'supports." J

A- further object: of the invention is to provide means for moreeasily and more accurately adjusting cultivating points than is provided for in existing cultivators.

' still further object of theinvention is to make the lifting operationof the cultivating points subject to control fromremote points,'as for instance, from atraction' engine which might be'drawing the cultivator. Other objects and advantage of the invention will be apparent during 'the' course of the followingfdescription." "'Inithe accompanying drawings forming a part of this "specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout'the'same, Figure 1 isa plan view of my invention with some ofthe parts removed; -.Fig; 2 is a verticalsectiomon line 6 '6 looking in the direction ofthe arrows: Some of the parts in this view'are omitted. i :Fig. 3 isa vertical section on line 7--7,

' also with certain parts omitted.

Fig. 4 is aperspective' view of the operating gear for'one-lialf'of the cultivator."

' Fig! 5.is a section view taken on line 88 of Fig. 3.

tration, show a preferred embodiment of my invention. 5 The nu'in'eraliQrepresents the mainframe of the cultivator andis' supported by the wheels 10 and tongue truck 1].. The cultivator is drawn by tongue 12. Four racksl3 are attached to the, frame b pivotal joints 14 carrying the blades 15. brace 16 is mounted near the'centerof each rack, as shown- .To these braces, rods 17 adjusting the tensionof the springs.

' justment by means of the holes 54. At the the forked cranks 26 carried by the shafts I 27' for the forward racks and shafts 28 for the rear racks; I These'shafts are supported by hearing plates 29 and 30 and have solidly attached theretoroperating. levers 31 and latch levers 32. Connecting rods 33 and 34 respectively, fo'r'the frontand rear shafts 27 "and 28, extend toward the main axle 35 and have rigidly fastened thereto upright pieces 36. s The main axle 35 is driven from the wheels 10 through ratchets in the hubs which arenot shown, and so turns only when one or both'wheels are moving forward.

Disks 37 fastened'to. axle'35 have mounted thereon projecting pins 38. Rods' 39 are attached'to the connecting rods33 "and 34 and are raised or lowered by means of pedals 40-and 41.] The raising of'these rodsf39 brings the projection 36 in the path of, the pins 38'as they revolve about shaft 35.

Latch levers 32 can be locked in t h'e ir 44 through which pass thecross pinsf 45 which pass through and are'he'ldi at their centers by rods 46. .Hand lever passes up through the platform to which it iszpiv oted at 49 and terminates at itsupper end in hand grip 59. At its "lower end it is pivoted to rod 46 at 571* t The springs 50 carried on the lock straps 42, press the pins 45 against therear. ofslots 44, but allow a slight movement; so thatthe ends of latch levers .32 can swing'down' past notches 58 in' locking straps 42 and .thus look without changing the position of'rod 46. The foot pedals 40"and'41 'are held by hearing plates 51 and'can be operated individually, or they can be operated 'all siinulbyother suitable-means. Ordinarily "the driver will occupy the seat 53 and in doing so can control the raising of the racks 13 either individually or collectively without greater effort than depressing the proper foot pedal, and can lower all the racks by shifting the hand lever 47. For example, it is desired to raise one of the racks as in Fig. 3; the proper foot pedal is depressed and its connecting rod 34 brings the projection 36 into contact with one of the pins 38. The pin is turning with the main axle 35 as the cultivator is advancing and thus forces the rod 34 rearward, causing shaft 28 to rotate, and in doing so to cause the fork lever 26, which is rigidly fastened to the shaft, to move to the position as shown in Fig. 2. The sleeve 22 connected with 26 presses against the spring 20 and so causes the rod 17 to raise the rack 13 about the joint 14, as shown in Fig. 2. In theraised position the shaft 27 (or 28) is locked by the latch lever 32 and the locking strap 42. In lowering the racks a slight movement of the hand 'lever t? swings locking strap 42 clear of the end of .lever 32 and the weight of the rack then causes it to drop to a predetermined, horizontal position, dependent upon the relative tensions of the springs 20 and 21, as shown inFig. 3. The motion of the rack in dropping is, retarded by the compression of the. spring 20 and its rebound motion is dampened by spring 21.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes'in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim 1. In combination, a cultivator frame, an axle journaled in said frame, driving wheels mounted onand adapted to revolve said axle, a cultivator rack pivotally connected tosaid frame, means for swinging said rack on its pivotal connection, with. said frame, said means comprising a brace secured to and extending upwardly from said rack, .a rod pivotally secured to said brace, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, springs encircling said rod. and opposing the opposite sides of said vsleeve, stops mounted on said rod toposition the. outer ends of said springs, a shaft journaledto said cultivator frame, a cranknonsrotatably mounted on said shaft andpivotally connected to said sleeve, means operated by said axle for rotating said shaft, said lastmentioned means comprising a disk mountedon said axle and-adapted to be. revolved by said axle, pins projecting from said. disk, a lever mounted on saidshaft, a connection rod pivotedat one end to said lever, an upright piecesecuredto said connecting rod, means for moving said connecting rod to thrust said upright piece into the path of rotation of said projection pins, and means for retaining said shaft and said crank in a predetermined position at predetermined times, said means comprising a latch lever mounted on said shaft, and a locking strap for engaging said latch-toretain said latch in a predetermined position.

2. In combination, a cultivator frame, an axle journaled to said frame, driving wheels mounted on and adapted to revolve said axle, a cultivator rack pivotally connected to said frame, means for swinging said rack on its pivotal connection with said frame, said means comprising a brace secured to and extending upwardly from said rack, a rod pivotally secured to said brace, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, springs encircling said rod and opposingthe opposite sides of said sleeve, stops mountedon said rod to position the outer ends of said springs, a shaft journaled to said cultivator frame, a crank non-rotatably mounted on said shaft and pivotally connected to said sleeve, means operated by saidaxle for rotating said shaft, said last mentioned means comprisinga disk mountedon saidaxle and adapted to herevolved by said axle, pins projectingfrom said disk, a levermounted on said shaft, a connection rod pivoted at one end tosaid lever, an upright piece secured to said connecting rod, means formoving said connecting rod to thrust said upright piece intothe path of rotation of said projection pins, means for retaining I said shaft and said crank in a predetermined position at predetermined times, said ,means comprising a latch lever mounted on said shaft, and a locking strap for engaging said latch. to retain said latch in a predetermined position; and means for manually disengaging said locking strap from said latch.

3. In combination, a cultivator frame,an axle journaled in said frame, means for revolving said axle, a cultivator rack pivotally coimectedto said frame, a shaft journaled in said cultivator frame, means for rotating said first mentioned shaft to swing said'rack upwardly on its pivotal connection, said means comprising a disk mounted'on and adapted tobe revolved by said axle, proaxle journaled in said frame, means for revolving said axle, a cultivator rack pivotally connected to said frame, a shaft journaled in said frame, an operative connection between said rack and said shaft, a lever mounted on said shaft, a connecting rod pivoted at one end to said lever, means operated by said axle for shifting the position of said lever, means for retaining said rack in a raised position, said means comprising a latch lever mounted on said shaft, and a locking strap for engaging said latch to re tain said latch in a predetermined position.

5. In combination, a cultivator frame, an axle journaled in said frame, means for revolving said axle, a cultivator rack pivotally connected to said frame, a shaft journaled in said frame, an operative connection between said rack and said shaft, a lever mounted on said shaft, a connecting rod pivoted at one end to said lever, means operated by said axle for shifting the position of said lever, a latch lever mounted on said shaft, a pivotally mounted locking strap,

and a spring for holding said strap in locking engagement with sand lever.

6. In combination, a cultivator frame, an axle journaled in said frame, means for revolving said axle, a cultivator rack pivotally connected to said frame, a shaft journaled in said frame, an operative connection between said rack and said shaft, a lever mounted on said shaft, a connecting rod pivoted at one end to said'lever, means operated by said axle for shifting the position of said lever, a latch lever mounted on said shaft, a pivotally mounted locking strap, a spring for holding said strap in locking engagement With said lever, and means for swinging said strap on its pivotal mounting for disengaging said strap from said latch lever.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

KARL F. GERHARD.

Witnesses:

E. M. GIBBONS, JOHN Gnrsnosn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

